


Feverish

by FishEyenoMiko



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Genre: Caretaking, Fever, Gen, Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:30:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FishEyenoMiko/pseuds/FishEyenoMiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hiccup gets a cold, Toothless is there to give him comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feverish

As often happened in Berk, the storm rose quickly, forcing the dragon riders to cut their training short. They managed to get most of the dragons that had no owners back in their pens; all but one, a stubborn young Nightmare that had just come from the Dragon's Nest and was still not used to dealing with humans. It took Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Astrid to get her inside, with Hiccup directing the whole thing. Toothless made himself useful, blocking her path and snapping at her to help herd her into the pen. Once she was in, the young Vikings checked to make sure everything was closed and tied down properly before heading for home. Hiccup's leg was bothering him--a combination of the weather and exhaustion--so he rode home on Toothless.

Stoick the Vast stood in the doorway watching his son heading home on the back of his dragon. As soon as they arrived, Stoick lifted his son off Toothless' back. 

"You!" he said to the dragon. "In there!" 

While Toothless was usually an "indoor dragon", he had a small roofed pen outside for occasions just like this. He entered his pen without complaint. Stoick carried his son into the house one-handed.

"Dad," Hiccup complained, "I can walk!"

"Don't be stubborn, boy!" Stoick began pulling the boy's wet clothes off. 

"Dad! Dad, let me get my leg off!" Dropping into a chair, Hiccup removed his prosthetic, then continued undressing. His dad wrapped him in a big, warm blanket and sat him next to the fire pit. 

"Stay here; I'll get you something to eat."

"Thanks, dad."

~~~~~~~~~~

Stoick knew something was wrong when he came down for breakfast and Hiccup wasn't up and running around. Even with his fake leg, the young man was often moving around faster than Stoick could keep track of. But there was nothing this morning. Stoick rushed to the Hiccup's bed to see that the boy was still laying there, looking rather peaked. He rested a hand on his son's forehead. 

"Yep, you've got a fever."

"I could have told you that, dad."

Stoick got to his feet. "I'm going to go get the healer. You stay put in bed."

"Trust me, I'm not in the mood to get up."

"Good."

Stoick opened the door of their house to see Toothless standing in the doorway. He let out a sad little trill as he looked up at the Viking chief.

"Yeah, all right, go on in," he said. "Take it easy, Hiccup's not feeling well." 

Toothless' eyes widened, and he darted into the room, practically knocking Stoick down in his haste. 

Stoick shook his head and left to get the healer.

Hiccup laughed as he saw Toothless bound up to him. But the dragon slowed down as he got to the bed, approaching his human carefully, and nuzzling him with a questioning coo. 

"It's ok, Toothless, it's just a fever. I probably just have a cold." He put his hands on Toothless' snout. "Hmm... you're nice and cool..."

Toothless leaned forward, resting his head on the bed. Smiling, Hiccup rested his cheek on the top of his dragon's head. 

"Oh, yeah, that's nice... Thanks, Toothless."

 

The healer confirmed what Hiccup had already guessed; he had a cold. With bed rest and food, he'd be fine in a few days. Normally the "bed rest" part would be a problem; Hiccup could never stand to be still for too long. But as lousy as he felt, the idea of staying in bed actually sounded appealing. After breakfast--his dad was a surprisingly good cook--Hiccup huddled down in his blankets. Toothless sat next to his bed, occasionally getting up to nuzzle and coo at him.

As the day wore on, Hiccup was getting more and more exasperated. Between feeling lousy and having short but unpleasant dreams whenever he drifted off, sleep was hard to come by. Hiccup had had nightmares for awhile after his fight with the monstrous dragon they'd named Green Death, but he thought he'd gotten over them. Apparently his illness was bringing them back. 

Finally, after hours of trying to sleep, Hiccup sat up with a sigh. Toothless, still by his bedside, sat up, giving his human a questioning look.

"Can't sleep," he explained. 

Toothless made a sad whirring sound. Then he perked up. Getting Hiccup's attention by nudging him with his head. Toothless nodded over to his bed.

Hiccup smiled. "Actually, that might not be such a bad idea." 

Swinging his legs off his bed, Hiccup put on his fake leg. He'd done it enough by now that he managed it even in his weary, fuzzy-minded state. Carefully getting up--with Toothless nearby to catch him just in case--Hiccup hobbled over and lay down on Toothless' bed. 

Toothless retracted his teeth and grabbed the blankets from Hiccup's bed, dragging them over and dumping them on the boy. 

"But I'm hot," Hiccup protested as Toothless settled in beside him. He started to push the blankets off the bed, only to be met with a low, threatening growl from his dragon. 

"Oh, c'mon, you're not se...ri...ous...?" The last word elongated as Toothless' eyes narrowed. "Ok, ok... Sheesh." 

Hiccup pulled the blankets back up. 

Toothless used his mouth--again retracing his teeth--to help him arrange them snugly around him. Then Hiccup cuddled up to Toothless. The dragon's cool skin felt wonderful to Hiccup, helping sooth his feverish skin.

"Thanks, Toothless," he said, petting his dragon's side. With a yawn, Hiccup closed his eyes and relaxed, and was finally able to get some well-needed rest.


End file.
